Gamecocks Down 10th-Ranked Florida
No. 26 South Carolina 4, No. 10 Florida 3
Columbia, S.C. — Wood Benton picked up his third match-clinching win in SEC play to help No. 26 South Carolina (15-6, 5-4 SEC) to a 4-3 win over 10th-ranked Florida (13-7, 7-2 SEC) on Sunday afternoon at Carolina Tennis Center.
South Carolina picked up its first top-10 win since 2013 and snapped a five-match losing skid to the Gators. The Gamecocks notched two ranked wins to earn the doubles point and had a pair of top-15 singles wins on the way to a third-straight SEC win.
DOUBLES
The Gamecocks dominated all three courts in doubles as Yancy Dennis and Harrison O’Keefe were the first to clinch, taking down the top-ranked doubles team in the nation in Florida’s Alfredo Perez and Johannes Ingildsen. The Gamecocks’ No. 1 pair broke serve to go ahead 3-1 and eventually prevailed 6-3.
South Carolina then captured the doubles point as Gabriel Friedrich and Thomas Mayronne closed out a 6-3 win over Duarte Vale and McClain Kessler, the 32nd-ranked doubles pair in the country.
DOUBLES (1,2*)
1. Yancy Dennis/ Harrison O’Keefe (SC) def. (1) Alfredo Perez/ Johannes Ingildsen (UF), 6-3
2. Gabriel Friedrich/ Thomas Mayronne (SC) def. (32) Duarte Vale/ McClain Kessler (UF), 6-3
3. Paul Jubb/ Wood Benton (SC) vs. Oliver Crawford/ Chase Perez-Blanco (UF) 4-4, unfinished
SINGLES
The Gamecocks battled through a lengthy, back-and-forth singles portion of the match, eventually prevailing on the back of a third SEC match-clinching win for junior Wood Benton in the No. 6 position.
Paul Jubb took out the eighth-ranked player in the country, Florida’s Alfredo Perez, in a decisive 6-4, 6-1 win at No. 2 singles to give the Gamecocks a 2-1 advantage in the match. The win was Jubb’s fifth win over a ranked opponent this season season and avenged an earlier loss this season to Perez.
South Carolina took a 3-1 lead as No. 46 Gabriel Friedrich overcame a 5-1 deficit in the second set to force a tiebreaker and eventually take out 11th-ranked Johannes Ingildsen in straight sets.
Florida would even the match at 3-3 with a pair of tight, three-set wins on courts four and five before Benton closed another clinching victory. The Gamecock junior took the opening set 6-3 but fell 7-2 in a second-set tiebreaker before eventually closing out a 6-3 win in the third set to give the Gamecocks the team win.
SINGLES (3,2,1,4,5,6*)
1. (46) Gabriel Friedrich (SC) def. (11) Johannes Ingildsen (UF) 6-3, 7-6 (7-2)
2. Paul Jubb (SC) def. (8) Alfredo Perez (UF) 6-4, 6-1
3. (51) Oliver Crawford (UF) def. Yancy Dennis (SC) 6-3, 6-2
4. Chase Perez-Blanco (UF) def. Harrison O’Keefe (SC) 6-3, 3-6, 6-2
5. (87) Duarte Vale (UF) def. Thomas Mayronne (SC) 3-6, 6-3, 7-5
6. Wood Benton (SC) def. McClain Kessler (UF) 6-3, 6-7 (2-7), 6-3
QUOTABLE
On initial reaction to Sunday’s win
“It’s unbelievable. For Florida, being on the road after they just took down the number one team in the country (No. 1 Wake Forest) on Friday night, this is a tough rebound match. We had an unbelievable crowd today, and that played a huge part in our victory. From the beginning, it was going to be about what we could bring to the table. Early on we had to analyze what we had and what kind of level we needed to get to and from the beginning, we just played Gamecock tennis. The guys did a phenomenal job at executing, and they carried that right on through singles.”
On the resiliency the team showed throughout the lineup
“Gabriel (Friedrich) was down 5-1 in the second, came back and won that second set in the breaker. Thomas Mayronne went deep in three; Harrison O’Keefe went deep in three; and let’s not forget about Mr. (Paul) Jubb — the guy’s been on a tear, and he had a mountain in front of him. [Alfredo Perez] beat him [6-1, 6-1] in the fall, and he came right back on him today [6-3, 6-1]. That’s a big time effort there. It was a complete team win from top to bottom, so I’m really happy about today.”
On how Wood Benton continues to perform under pressure
“He’s a tough competitor. He’s got a competitive streak through him better than anybody there is. When you allow him to just compete and drop any kind of stress on the court and do his thing, he rises to the occasion. He’s able to look across the net and go `I’m going to be here. I’m fast, I’m tenacious, I bring what I bring, and I’m going to be aggressive with my forehand’. That’s what he’s able to do in those moments — take a deep breath, zone in on his world and eliminate everything else. If you can do that, you’re going to be successful most of the time.” – Head Coach Josh Goffi
GAMECOCK NOTABLES
- No. 26 South Carolina has now won three straight SEC matches, each against ITA top-50 opponents. The Gamecocks also pick up their second top-25 win of the season after knocking off No. 17 Georgia last month.
- Yancy Dennis and Harrison O’Keefe combined to take out the No. 1 doubles pair in the country, Florida’s Alfredo Perez and Johannes Ingildsen.
- Gabriel Friedrich and Thomas Mayronne picked up a second-straight doubles win with a victory over 32nd-ranked McClain Kessler and Duarte Vale.
- Paul Jubb, who entered the weekend second in the conference in SEC singles wins, is 4-0 in his last five matches and has five ranked wins on the season. Jubb’s win over eighth-ranked Alfredo Perez was his highest ranked win of his career.
- After defeating 11th-ranked Johannes Ingildsen of Florida, No. 46 Gabriel Friedrich has won two straight matches and has six ranked wins on the season.
- Wood Benton has three match-clinching victories for the Gamecocks during SEC play with clinchers against No. 17 Georgia, Auburn and No. 10 Florida.
UP NEXT FOR THE GAMECOCKS
The Gamecocks will make their final SEC road trip of the season next week as they travel to take on LSU on Fri., Apr. 6, at 6 p.m. ET, followed by a Sunday afternoon match at Texas A&M on Apr. 8, at 1 p.m. ET
For updates, continue to check back with GamecocksOnline.com or follow the team on social media (@GamecockMTennis).
